


Failure is Not the End

by Ehards29



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: BD-1 to the rescue!, Cal Kestis Needs a Hug, F/M, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Torture, Rescue, Trilla is not nice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:26:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24444295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ehards29/pseuds/Ehards29
Summary: Set right after Cal finds his kyber crystal on Ilum and it breaks. What would happen if the Second Sister found him at his most vunerable? Will she break him and turn him into an Inquistor or will his friends be able to save him in time? Only one way to find out! There's some non-con elements in this story, so if that's something you're not down with, no judgement here. Just a warning for ya!
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Trilla Suduri | Second Sister
Comments: 33
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

He could sense her before he could see her. Cal knew he was being followed from the moment he stepped onto Ilum, but he was hoping he could complete his task in time to face her. He needed to complete his new lightsaber so he did not have to face her unarmed, but as he held the broken shards of his kyber crystal in his shivering hands, he knew he had failed. BD-1 climbed close to Cal, beeping words of encouragement in his droid language. 

“Beep boo be?” BD-1 asked. 

“Yeah buddy, I’m okay, it’s going to be okay.” 

Cal knew it was not going to be okay, but he did not want to scare the little droid. He knew that above all else, no matter what happened to him, if any harm came to BD-1, his faithful companion and friend, he would never be able to forgive himself. He pulled BD-1 closer to him and spoke in a hushed tone.   
“Listen buddy, you need to listen closely to what I am about to tell you. You need to find Cere and Greez, you need to go now. The Second Sister is here, I can feel her presence and I am unarmed. I’ll be no match for her.”

The little droid beeped at his inquisitively, but Cal shook his head. 

“There’s no time to explain, please. You need to help Cere and Greez find the holocron, finish what we started here. We cannot let the Second Sister find it, you understand?”

BD-1 booped in understanding, but he did not move from Cal’s side. Cal shivered uncontrollably. His fall into the freezing cold water had resulted a feeling of icy numbness he had never experienced before. He was scared. He didn’t want to be alone, he didn’t want BD-1 to leave, but he knew this was pure selfishness. Childishness. It was the same fear he felt holding his dying Master, Jaro Tapal, and they hurtled toward Bracca. But he was not a scared Padawan anymore, and even if he had failed to restore his Master’s lightsaber, he didn’t have to fail their mission as well. He looked down at the broken shards of the kyber crystal in his hand. He had been so sure that despite everything he had been through, despite his Master’s death, his hiding all those years on Bracca, his struggles to find Zeffo artifacts, he would somehow be rewarded for his efforts. He could finally face his past and become what he had always dreamt of becoming, a true Jedi. He cursed his foolishness. 

The already frigid air became even colder as the sound of footsteps crunching on icy snow could be heard outside the cave. Cal closed his eyes, and hastily tucked the broken kyber crystal shards in his pocket. She was here. 

“Cal Kestis.” Trilla’s voice was as icy as the snowy walls around them. “Well, well, what do we have here?” Her tone was practically dripping with pride. She approached him, flanked by several Stormtroopers and a Purge Trooper. Though she knew the backup was unnecessary. She had planned this perfectly. 

“A little chilly are we? Poor thing, you’re shivering like a stray puppy.” She Force grabbed his lightsaber before he was able to react, pulling it into her hands. She examined it coolly. 

“Hmm. What happened to your Master’s lightsaber, Padawan? It doesn’t seem to be working. All of Jaro Tapal’s hard work, for nothing” she tutted.   
He narrowed his eyes at her but did not speak. He would not give her the satisfaction of a response. BD-1 beeped at her harshly. She glared at the droid.   
“When I take you to the Inquisitorius, the first thing I am going to do is make you watch as I take that thing apart bolt by bolt” she growled.   
“You’ll have to catch him first,” Cal retorted. “BD, run!” The little droid sprang into action, running toward the exit of the cave, sliding under the feet of the Stormtroopers as they tried to grab him. Trilla growled in anger. 

“Get the droid, now!” The Troopers began firing their blasters in BD-1’s direction, but he was too fast. He easily evaded their attacks, scaling the walls and disappearing out of the cave. 

“What are you waiting for you idiots, follow him! That bucket of bolts will lead us straight to the Mantis.” She smiled back at Cal, who was now on his feet. 

“Oh yes, I know all about your little plan to have the droid lead your friends to the holocron, I have been watching you for some time now, waiting for my moment to strike.” Her golden eyes were ablaze with pride. “And it would appear my patience has been rewarded. Bringing you in to the Inquisitorius will grant me favor with the Emperor. One less Jedi, one new Inquisitor. Not to mention the location of the holocron.” She twirled Cal’s lightsaber in her hand, watching it lazily. 

“I will die before I give you that satisfaction Trilla, go tell that to your precious Emperor,” Cal spat back through gritted teeth. 

“Oh you might, some do. Some are deemed too weak to become Inquisitors, and are sent to labor camps to toil in the mines until they perish. Some die under the extreme distress of torture. And some, well, they prove themselves strong enough to serve the Empire. I wonder which fate will befall you Cal Kestis?” She Forced pulled him to her, grabbing him by the lapel of his jacket. Her eyes bore into him, gleaning with satisfaction. “I, for one, hope you survive. It will be so delicious to watch you break.” 

Cal broke from her grip, tumbling away from her. He Forced pushed Trilla with all his might, sending her flying back into the icy wall behind her. The Purge Trooper and the remaining Stormtroopers drew their weapons, but the Second Sister waved them off. “He’s mine” she growled. Cal attempted to run past the Storm Troopers toward the exit of the cave, but Trilla easily caught him with her Force pull, sending him careening into the wall. 

“Not so fast little Jedi” she sneered as Cal cried out from the impact. She used her Force push to send him flying from the wall into the ceiling of the cave, and then released him, sending him tumbling down to the floor. He broke his fall with his own Force push, but it was too little, too late. With the wind knocked out of him from the impact with the ceiling, he struggled to regain his footing. The Troopers were one him instantly. They grabbed him, forcing him to his knees. 

The last thing Cal remembered seeing Trilla’s satisfied smile as the butt of one of the Trooper’s blasters came down hard on his temple, causing the world to go black.


	2. Chapter 2

Cal awoke to the low hum of red laser bars in front of him. His eyes struggled to adjust to his surroundings. He was in a cell of some sort, propped up against a cold metal bench. He strained his ears, listening for clues as to his location, but all he could hear was the drone of the lasers. His hands were secured behind his back by cuffs and around his neck was a heavy, metal collar. As Cal attempted to concentrate on the slowing the pulsing of the laser bars in front of him, he understood at once the point of the collar. He could no longer able use his Force powers. Cal’s head ached where the Stormtrooper had hit him with their blaster and he could feel an angry welt forming.

Cal closed his eyes again, concentrating with all his might. _Cere_. He called to her in his mind. _Cere, can you hear me?_

He sighed. No response.

“BD.” Cal wished that his friend could be there with him to help him hatch an escape plan. He hoped with his whole heart that BD-1 had escaped the Troopers and had made it to the Mantis. But even as this hope gave him comfort, he knew in this moment he was utterly alone. And he knew what was coming for him. As Cal shifted his weight, he could feel the slight movement of the kyber crystals in his pants pocket. _They’re still here_ , he thought. Despite the fact that the collar cut him off from the Force, he could still feel them calling to him. _Is it possible that they are not truly broken after all?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the march of boots coming down the hallway in his direction. A group of four Stormtroopers approached his cell, deactivating the laser bars.

“Up, Jedi” one of them barked at him. Cal stared at him, but made no move to get up.

“I don’t think I will, I’m good right here.” He retorted.

“Insolent little brat”, the Trooper barked at him. “We’ll see how long that cocky attitude lasts in the Chair.” He signaled to the other three Storm Troopers. Two of them pulled Cal up to his feet by his shirt, as the other punched him hard in the stomach. Cal cried out in pain, doubling over in attempt to protect himself. He struggled against the two Troopers holding him by his arms, but they were too strong for him in his weakened state.

“No more games, boy” the first Trooper said. “Let’s begin.”

The pain of the Chair had been worse than anything Cal had ever experienced, times a thousand. After they had strapped him down, he waited for the Troopers to begin their questioning. Where is the Mantis, where is the halocron, the names of other Jedi. But they had not said a word to him, simply starting up the horrible machine as he thrashed against his bonds. Electrical volts seared his skin, burning him to his very core. Once, when he was only 14, he had been assigned a dangerous shift taking apart an out of commission Star Destroyer’s comm system on Bracca. Since he was young and dexterous, he was often assigned jobs taking apart ships’ mechanical parts, work that required less brute force than pulling ships apart and scrapping their metal. On this particular assignment, he had not known a wire he was pulling was still live, and the electrical current had moved through his whole body like a bolt of lightning. The pain was incredible and young Cal was afraid he had seared off his hand from his wrist. But that pain was nothing compared the volts that were shot through him on the Chair. He screamed and writhed in pain, pulling so hard on his bonds that he drew blood. The worst, however, were the visions. His psychometry, which had been such an asset throughout his mission to find the holocron was now his worst nightmare as his head was flooded with the pained screams of countless other Jedi who had been subjected to the same treatment. He could feel their pain the same as his, their failure to escape the grasp of the Empire the same as him, and it almost broke him then and there. The volts continued until Cal had passed out from the pain and overwhelming cries of past victims.

He awoke to find himself back in his cell. His body felt like it was made of lead, and even the smallest of movements caused him searing pain. He felt barely human, like he was watching himself from above his own body. Even breathing proved to challenging. His lips and throat ached for water. Cal closed his eyes, but sleep did not come. He was not sure it would ever again.

This same treatment continued for many days, at least Cal thought it was many days, there was really no way to tell the difference between day and night in the prison of the Inquisitorius. He was given one glass of water and one small meal a day, enough to keep him alive, and then he would be taken to the Chair for his “treatments” as the Troopers liked to call it. All the while, he was never asked questions and no demands were made of him. In fact, the Stormtroopers never said a thing to him, they simply watched as he moaned and writhed in the Chair’s cruel grasp. In fact, Cal did not even think they were controlling the instrument of torture at all. Either the thing had a mind of its own, or someone else was calling the shots from a distance. The routine was becoming commonplace, and he was forgetting was life was like before coming to this place. T _hat’s what they want_ , Cal thought. _That’s how they break you. You have to remember your friends, you have to remember Master Tapal. You have to remember your training_. But as time moved on, as his body became weaker and weaker, so did his mind. In his cell at night, Cal would allow himself to cry silent tears. His greatest fear was that this would end, and he would no longer be himself on the other end. As he drifted off into a pained and dreamless sleep, he could hear Master Tapal call out to him. _The Force is with you, it is all around you, Padawan_. He was not broked yet. 

Trilla Suduri watched Cal’s daily sessions at the Chair with great interest. He remained strong, she had to give him that, but soon enough he would break like all the others. Like she did. She remembered how she vowed to fight against the pain, how she would never give in, never allow the Empire to corrupt her. But in the end, a human body and mind are only capable of so much. She was grateful for the pain, she had learned so much of what she was capable of, and now she was more powerful as an Inquisitor than she ever would have been as a Jedi. Cal would soon learn as she did, there is great power in the Dark Side, and power seems a just reward for all their suffering.

She stood vigil in a viewing room above the interrogation room. The other Inquisitors knew she had a special interest in the young Padawan, and did not interfere or ask questions about her work. She controlled the Chair from the room, and was beginning to learn Cal’s triggers. She could sense when he was at his weakest, when his psychometry was at its peak, and would send the volts ripping through his body. She watched with an almost clinical interest as the tears ran down his reddened cheeks, his body taught against his bonds. But he never asked for mercy, never begged to make it stop. _Good_ , she thought, h _e will make a strong Inquisitor_.

As time went on however, the interest she paid him that had started as distant and cool began to fan a growing flame inside her. She had to admit, the boy was beautiful. His taut muscles were clearly prevalent through his clothes, which were growing thinner and more raged by the day. His red hair was stark against his pale skin, and she longed to rake her nails through it. She vowed then and there that would make him hers, she would break him and then he would serve her and the Empire. Then she would have everything she ever wanted. She would win Darth Vader and the Emperor’s favor by delivering them the holocron, and one day she might even be made Grand Inquistor, with her beautiful, broken Padwan by her side. After everything she had gone through, taking this boy from Cere and turning him into an Inquisitor would be a reward so sweet, she could taste it.

In that moment she decided, he was ready.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dunnn!! The smut is here! Warnings for this chapter, it includes non-con sexy stuff and drug use. I don't want anyone to be caught off guard. 
> 
> I also wanted to say that I don't ship the pairing I use in this chapter, you'll see what I mean. It's the ultimate test of Cal's resolve and shows off just how cruel my interpretation of Trilla can be. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Thanks to all the peeps leaving kudos and comments, means a lot to me! Now on to the story...

The day began just like any other, with Cal being roused from his shallow sleep by a group of Stormtroopers pulling him to his feet and forcing him from his cell. But this time, they did not take him down his normal route, instead dragging him to an elevator that went up several flights. He was then taken down a set of hallways to a large door. One of the Troopers punched in a code and the door opened into what looked like a living quarters. There was a large bed, a long table with an arrangement of cruel looking flowers in the center, and a set of chairs next to a bookcase. Beyond it, a set of doors lead into another room.

Cal barely had time to register where he was when one of the other Troopers grabbed his arm and harshly drove a syringe containing a murky liquid into him, causing Cal to cry out with surprise. The Trooper pushed him to his knees and removed his cuffs. Just as soon as they had enter, the Troopers left, leaving Cal alone in the room. Cal quickly climbed to his feet and began desperately tried opening the door he had entered through. He tried several different combinations on the key pad, but none worked. He cursed under his breath, if he did not have this damned collar on he could use the Force to push open the door. He began again, trying different combinations. Slowly he found himself confused by what he was doing. _Where was he again? Why was he trying to open this door?_

His body suddenly felt light and a smile spread across Cal’s face. Everything around him felt warm and soft, like he was being wrapped in a blanket after a particularly cold shift at the shipyard. Cal looked around the room, he felt safe, comfortable. He was happy to be here, wherever here was. Suddenly, a voice called out to him from the other side of the room.

“Cal? Cal, is that you? Come to me Cal.” He recognized the voice immediately.

“Cere?” Cal said. “Cere, is that you?” He moved toward the direction of the voice and the doors on the other side of the room opened to reveal the galley of the Mantis. Greez was studying the plants in his terrarium with BD-1 at his side, and Cere was sitting on the couch, smiling at him.

"Cere, Greez, BD, it’s you guys!” Cal could barely contain his excitement. “I was so worried, I thought the Empire might have caught up to you….I-I-I really missed you guys.” Cere patted the seat of the couch, beckoning him to come sit down.

“We missed you too Cal, we are so happy you are okay.” The warm, comforting sensation continued to spread throughout Cal’s body. He felt so happy, but other emotions were harder to register. _Something is wrong here_ , he thought. _But why? I am back with my friends, I should be happy. I should feel…_ his thoughts trailed off. Cere watched him, but her gaze lacked its usual warmth.

“Cere”, Cal stammered. “I was gone…somewhere, but now I am back here, on the Mantis. I’m confused, what’s happening?” 

“Shh…” Cere put her finger to Cal’s lips, silencing him. She traced the outline of his jaw gently, watching his eyes widen with confusion and surprise.

“You’re safe now Cal, but oh my, look at you,” she tutted coldly. “You are absolutely filthy, look at your clothes. Why don’t we get you cleaned up for your big homecoming?” Cere stood and pulled Cal to his feet, leading him toward the back of the ship. Cal followed obediently, feeling like he was floating more than walking. He walked past Greez and BD-1, but they did not turn to look at him.

“Greez, BD?” Cal called to them, but they did not answer. Cere continued to pull him along, and Cal felt a sudden urge to pull away from her.

“No-no” he stuttered, “I want to see BD-1, I want to stay here.” But she continued to pull him by his wrist, and he continued to follow. She brought him to the back of the ship, where the crew’s shower was and turned the water on. Wordlessly, Cere began removing his tattered clothing, caressing each piece of exposed flesh as his clothing articles fell to the floor. She then removed her own clothing, and pulled him into the shower.

“Ce-re-re”, Cal stuttered. “What are you doing, why are you doing this?”

“Has anyone ever touched you, Cal Kestis? Touched you where I know you touch yourself at night, when you think no one is watching?” Cere cooed in his ear as she took a bar of soap and began lathering his body.

She traced the lines of his scars with her finger, and Cal could feel himself growing hard against her touch. Though his thoughts were clouded, he felt a rush of shame as Cere touched him. He had never thought of Cere in a sexual way, she was his friend, his mentor. She had saved his life and had always made him feel safe. She had faith in him even when he did not have faith in himself. _This is wrong_ , he was telling himself. _This is wrong, make it stop._

Cal moaned with a mixture of pleasure and humiliation as she continued creasing his manhood, pushing him against the wall of the shower and stroking him until he was fully erect. In the past, he tried his hardest not to give into physical pleasure, as Master Tapal told him it was against Jedi Code. However, as a young man alone on Bracca, he had indulged himself from time to time. It had only added to his guilt as he spilt his seed into his hands, silently crying and begging for forgiveness. But he had never felt the touch of a stranger’s hand on him. It felt more satisfying than he ever could have imagined. 

“Tsk, tsk” she purred in his ear as she continued to stroking him. “What would Master Tapal say if he could see his apprentice now? Do you think he would be proud? Having sacrificed his life for such a pathetic child, giving in so easily to the pleasures of the flesh. All that training, for what?” Cere sneered as Cal struggled against her grip. She continued stroking him, faster and harder this time, working him into a frenzy.

"No!" He cried out. "No Cere, stop, please stop. I can't take much more." 

“And what about me?" Cere continued, purring in his ear. "I saved your life remember? All I asked in return was that you find the holocron for me and you couldn’t even do that!” Cal cried out as despite her cruel words, he came violently on the shower floor. Cere pushed Cal to his knees, grabbing him by his hair and forcing his mouth to her slit.

“Time to make it up to me, little Padawan.”

Cal struggled to pull away, but her grip only tightened. 

"Now, now Cal. That's not fair, is it? After how good I made you feel, the least you could do is return the favor." 

Cal could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks as he wordlessly began his task of pleasuring her. As a both a Jedi Padawan and an inexperienced young man, he had no idea how to please Cere, but he feared what she might do if he didn't try. He began moving his tounge up and down her opening, embarrassed by the pleasure he was finding in the act. 

"Mmm yes, Cal. Show me", Cere moaned as she ground her hips against his mouth. "Show me how much you want my approval, show your loyalty to your precious Jedi Order.” Cere laughed as Cal again tried to pull away from her. She grabbed him by his throat and pulled him closer to her clit, holding him there as he desperately gasped for air against her wetness.

Gradually, the walls of the Mantis’s shower began to fade away as the effects of whatever the Troopers had injected him with started to wear off, revealing Cal to be an unfamiliar bathroom with black walls and red lights. Cal finished licking her clit, and Cere cried out as she came, her body practically vibrating with relief. She pushed him away as he desperately tried to catch his breath. As Cal looked back up at the woman before him, he realized it was no longer Cere. It was Trilla, her yellow eyes smiling in mixture of pleasure and triumph, like what a predator must look like after successfully catching her prey.

“Trilla, what did you do to me? What did you do to me?!” Cal yelled as he attempted to rise to his feet, but Trilla used the Force to push him down to the floor of the shower again. She knelt down next to him and grabbed him by his hair, pulling him to her. Trilla softly laughed as she absent-mindedly traced his lips with her thumb, enjoying the feeling of her wetness still on his mouth. She leaned in and whispered slowly in his ear. 

“You are broken Cal Kestis, you will never be a true Jedi. You could not save your Master, you could not repair his lightsaber, you could not help your friends, and you will not make it out of this place unless I deem it so. You have been corrupted, you have given in to your most base instincts and soon you will give into the Dark Side just as I have.” She threw a towel at him, laughing as he struggled to rise to his feet.

“Clean yourself up, tomorrow you are going to fetch me the holocron.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is set right after what goes down in Chapter 1, hope that's not too confusing! This picks up with BD-1 and the gang after Cal's abduction. Will they make it off Ilum alive? Read on to find out! 
> 
> Also no Cal or Trilla in this chapter, we'll catch back up with them next chapter. I also edited and added to Chapter 3 because there were a lot of typos and I don't know how to write smut because I'm a noob. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

BD-1 zig zagged across the icy floors of the crystal caves, beeping in distress as a group of Stormtrooper chased after him in close pursuit.

“Get him!” One of the Troopers shouted as BD raced ahead of them.

“Ah, he’s too fast!” The other Trooper yelled back in frustration as his blaster shots continued to miss the agile droid.

BD-1 raced up a snow mound and onto a high ledge, out the reach of the perusing Troopers. They cursed as the droid disappeared out of sight.

“The Second Sister is going to have our heads if we don’t catch that thing.” The Trooper looked above him and kicked the icy wall in frustration. 

“Relax”, the other replied. “We just need to wait him out. He’s gotta be around here somewhere, we just need to find him and he will lead us to the ship where the Jedi came from. If we can get eyes on that ship, we’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

Safely hidden in a small crack in the wall, BD-1 listened as the Troopers conversations slowly faded away. 

“Booo”, BD-1 sighed. He did not know exactly where he was or where Cal was, but he remembered his friend’s last directive. He needed to get to the Mantis and find Cere and Greez. He needed to tell them that Cal was gone. BD-1 had a holomap of Ilum uploaded to his system already, so he could easily map out how to get to the Mantis. He looked around, and seeing no sign of the Troopers, hopped down from ledge. He scanned the area for signs of sentient life, and seeing none, began his journey back to the Mantis.

BD-1 was almost out of the cave, when the Troopers round a turn and caught sight of him.

“There he is!” One of the yelled, and began shooting him again with their blaster.

“Weeeeoooww!” BD-1 cried as he fled out ahead of them. They were in hot pursuit. The droid peeled around a corner only to find it was a dead end. In a panic, BD-1 climbed to the top of the cave wall and perilously hung by his feet from the ceiling. He climbed behind a group of stalactites to get out of the perusing Troopers’ sight. 

“Where the hell did he go?” One of the Troopers cried out in frustration. “Here little droid. Come on out buddy, we won’t hurt ya.”

The other Trooper laughed. “He’s around here somewhere, start firing to smoke him out.”

The Troopers began firing their blasters at anything and everything in the cave causing the area to fill up with smoke and the walls to rumble. BD-1 watched as the stalactites he was hiding behind began to shake, loosening from the ceiling. Suddenly BD-1 got an idea.

“Trill beep boop bee.” He called out the Troopers, who looked up in his direction on the ceiling.

“There he is!” One of them called out. “Get him!”

BD-1 used the electrical pulse in his legs to shock the stalactites, which were already loosened from the Troopers blasting. 

“Ahhh!!” The Troopers screamed as the giant icicles came barreling down on them, burying them in a pile of ice and snow. BD-1 slowly made his way from the cave ceiling and again scanned the area for signs of life. Nothing. His path to the Mantis was finally clear.

Greez was tinkering with the Mantis’s controls while Cere impatiently paced through the halls of the ship _. He should be back by now_ , she thought to herself. _He went in there unarmed and he should be back by now._

“Woah, hey, hey it’s the droid!” Greez called out, opening the doors of the Mantis. BD-1 scurried board the ship, beeping in distress.

“Hey little guy, hey it’s all right.” Greez tried to calm him down. Even though he did not speak Binary, he could tell distress when he saw it.

“BD-1, are you okay?” Cere ran up to the panicked droid. “Where’s Cal, BD-1, where is he?”

BD-1 gave Cere his reply, and she dropped to her knees. “No, no, no, this can’t be.”

“What’s going on? What did he say? Where’s the kid, Cere?” Greez rushed to the former Jedi’s side, putting one of his hands on her shoulder.

“She took him. She took him, Greez”, Cere replied.

“Who took him, took him where?”

“The Second Sister, the Inquisitor who was hunting him on Bracca. She found him when he was trying to repair his lightsaber.”

Greez, Cere, and BD-1 all stared at each other in stunned silence.

“Cal…no, not the kid”, Greez whispered. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

The silence was interrupted by a crackle and then an Imperial transmission coming from Cere’s radio.

“Copy, Second Sister en-route with Jedi prisoner. Over.”

“Copy, en-route to Nur. Back-up requested to find the Jedi’s transport ship and droid. Droid could contain sensitive information. Over.”

“Orders are to bring the droid back intact. Other passengers on ship, shoot to kill. Over.”

“Ah no, they’re on to us!” Greez moved toward the front of the ship and began engaging the Mantis’s engines.

“What are you doing?!” Cere shouted at him. “We can’t leave here, we have to find him!”

“Cere, you heard what the Imps said, the Second Sister already has him and has taken off. We can’t stay here!”

“I’m not leaving without him!” Cere cried, attempting to grab the controls from Greez’s hands.

The Mantis was suddenly rocked by a shot against its hull. Greez engaged the ship’s rear cameras, cursing as he got a clear view of where the shot came from.

“This is not good, AT-ST’s! They got AT-ST’s shooting at us!” Greez pushed aside a panicked Cere and pulled the engine into take-off position.

“Cal…” Cere cried out.

“I’m sorry, Cere, I’m sorry, but we gotta go. Now!” Greez attempted to calm his friend as the Mantis began to lift off the ground.

The Mantis’s comm system cracked. “Stop right now, your ship is violation of Imperial code 34-95A. Stop immediately or we will shoot your vessel down.”  
"Yeah, nice try boys, but I don’t think so!” Greez yelled, and pushed the Mantis’s engine into full throttle. The ship took off, pushing forward and leaving Ilum in the distance.

Greez was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when the Mantis’s sensors began flashing. Greez looked down and saw several Imperial Tie Fighters on the radar.

“Crap, crap, we got company guys!” Greez shouted. “Cere, get to the back of the ship, man the guns. I’m gonna try and out maneuver them!”

Cere wasted no time running to the back of the ship to the Manti’s rear gun station. She was familiar with how it worked from when she first partnered up with Greez. He had told her that part of his contract was that if things got hot, she needed to know how to shoot. She put on her headset and powered on the rear blasters.

“Okay Greez, I’m here’” she said through the headset as pair of Tie’s screamed past the ship.

“Give ‘em hell, Jedi!” He called to her. “I’m gonna try to make the jump to hyperspace!”

She began firing as the Ties zig zagged past the Mantis, firing their blasters. Her shooting was erratic and uncoordinated. She was used to fighting with a lightsaber, not a blaster, and her vision was clouded by the tears forming in her eyes. The Ties were firing on the Mantis, chipping away at its shield protector.<

“What’s going on back there, Cere?” Greez’s voice cracked through her headset. “These guys are all over us!”

Cere attempted to steady her breathing and focus the gun’s targeting system, but her mind was clouded. _Cal_ , she thought, _I’m so sorry. I failed you. I failed you._ One of the Fighters scored a hit though the shield, and the Mantis jolted from the impact. BD-1 came running to Cere, beeping words of encouragement. Cere closed her eyes, and in that moment, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

“Failure is not the end, Cere. Have faith in the path, have faith in your friends, and most importantly, have faith in the Force. I believe in you, and I am proud of you, as I always have been.”

It was the voice of her former Jedi Master, Eno Cordova. The very man who lead her on this crazy journey and the exact person she needed to hear from in this moment. Cere pushed the tears from her eyes and focused her mind on the Tie Fighter flying past the Mantis. The gun’s targeting system beeped, she had the Fighter in her sights. _Cordova, Cal, I won’t fail you._ She fired several blaster shots and the Tie Fighter exploded into the starry sky.

“Nice shot, Cere!” Greez called to her. “I think I can make it past the other one and make the hyperspace jump. Hold on!”

The Mantis suddenly lunged forward, leaving the remaining Tie Fighter in its wake. Cere let out a sigh of relief and came back to her position at the front of the ship, falling into her chair. Greez turned around to face her.

“That wasn’t bad shooting back there, I thought we were goners for sure.”

Cere did not respond. She looked forward with a blank expression on her face. She felt as if her whole world was falling apart. First Trilla, now Cal. Every young person she tried to help was eaten up by the Dark Side or killed. It was a mistake that she had ever been made a Jedi in the first place. 

Greez looked toward Cere, the closet friend he had ever known, and saw the heartbreak in her eyes. He walked up to her and took her hand.

“Come on, let’s go. We need to figure out how we are going to save Cal.”


	5. Chapter 5

Cal sat in his cell, staring straight ahead at the metal walls surrounding him. His daily food and water rations sat untouched next to him. The thought of eating made his stomach turn. His chest burned with a rage he had never experienced before. It twisted and writhed through him like a poisonous snake. He hated it, he hated Trilla, but mostly, he hated himself for allowing her to use him like that. Cal grabbed his plate of food and threw it against the wall with all his might, letting out a primal scream that came from deep within him.

“Ahh!!” He howled at the top of his lungs. Cal balled his hands into fists so tight, he could feel his nails puncturing the skin of his palms. The physical pain was a welcome relief from the torment he felt inside. He could still feel Trilla’s hands on him, grabbing his hair, his cock. He could still taste her, hear her laughter as he struggled to resist. She had used him, manipulated him, and he was too weak to stop it. She had preyed on his allegiance to Cere, his wish to be back on the Mantis with his friends. He was a Jedi, he was stronger than that. But Trilla’s words echoed over and over in his head.

 _You are broken. You will never be a Jedi_.

Cal buried his head into his hands and began to weep. She was right. He failed. He failed Master Topal, he failed Cere, BD, and Greez. He thought he was strong enough to withstand the Empire, but here he was, a broken child filled with rage and grief. Which was exactly what Trilla wanted. He couldn’t let her win, he couldn’t let her get the holocron. Even if it meant sacrificing his own life to protect the lives of those children, he would never, ever surrender.

Trilla strode confidently through several sets of hallways until she reached the end of a long corridor guarded by two heavily armed Troopers. They regarded her coldly.

“I have requested an audience with Lord Varder”, she informed the pair.

“Yes, Lord Vader has been expecting you Second Sister, you may pass.” A large door opened to reveal Darth Vader’s chambers in the Inquisitorius. The Sith Lord was staring straight ahead into the darkness of the ocean beyond the fortress.

“Second Sister.” He called to her without turning to face her.

Trilla bowed before him. “Lord Vader, thank you for granting me an audience.”

“The Jedi, is he ready?”

“Yes, I believe he is my Lord. I have worn down his defenses and he is weak. I will take him to Dathomir to fetch the astrium for us, and then he will use it to unlock the holocron as per the old Jedi’s instructions. When he is done with this task, I will bring the holocron to you and I will complete his transformation into a new Inquisitor.” Trilla’s eyes gleamed with pride. She knew her plan would please Lord Vader.

“You have come a long way Second Sister, but don’t get too confident. The Jedi’s friends. Where are they?”

“They were last spotted making the jump to hyperspace outside Ilum, my Lord. Their ship was damaged by our forces.”

“But you don’t know where they are presently?” The Sith Lord asked, a tone of annoyance in his voice.

Trilla hesitated. “No my Lord, not currently, but we will find them, they can’t have gotten far with a damaged ship.”

Vader turned to face Trilla. “You see Inquisitor, your overconfidence is your weakness. You must plan for every possible outcome, which you clearly have not.”

“I apologize my Lord, they will be found and dealt with.”

“See to it.”

Trilla bowed again to Vader and turned to leave the room. An audience with the Sith Lord was a terrifying prospect, even for Inquisitors, but she knew she would not fail. Besides, dealing with Cere once and for all would be the perfect way to tie up all her loose ends and finally free her from her past. Now to find the Jedi and then, the holocron.

Trilla made her way to Cal’s cell, pulsing with the anticipation of seeing the little Jedi again. She was quite enjoying breaking him, an unexpected perk of her mission. The memory of him squirming against her grip as he pleasured her sent a chill running down her spine. It was a feeling of power that was beyond intoxicating. As Trilla approached Cal's cell, she saw him balled in the corner, his food spilled next to him. 

“My, my, I see you threw a bit of a temper tantrum and made a mess of your cage. What a shame, you will need your energy for our journey ahead, Padawan.”

Cal did not turn to face her or acknowledge her presence, causing Trilla to grit her teeth in rage. _Oh no, this would not do at all._ Trilla deactivated the laser bars and entered his cell. She regarded him coolly as he averted her gaze, starring at the floor below him. She knelt down next to him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

“You would do well to show me some respect when you see me my little Jedi, seeing as I am your new Master now.”

Cal’s bloodshot eyes narrowed with rage.

“Never. I will never serve you or the Empire.”

“Believe me, you will learn soon enough. I can tell you from experience, you would do well to submit. It will make it easier on you. Besides…” Trilla traced the small scar on his lower lip with her thumb, “I can make you feel ways you would never be allowed to feel before. You see, the Empire does not have the same strong feelings about physical intimacy that the Jedi Order does. And why should we not be able to feel pleasure, what’s so wrong with wanting to feel close to someone? To feel the warmth of their hands on our body, the heat of their mouths on ours?”

Trilla pulled Cal’s chin closer to her and kissed him slowly, softly biting down on his lower lip. She rubbed her gloved hand up and down his pants, grinning with pride as she could feel him to begin growing hard beneath her touch. Cal let out a small moan of pleasure, and then gathering his thoughts, pushed her off of him.

“No Trilla, you won’t corrupt me.” Cal glared at her with defiance.

Trilla reached back and gave Cal a quick, harsh slap across the cheek. Cal reeled back, but his eyes remained resolute. She stood up, towering above him.

“Oh my little Jedi, I already have.”

Trilla snapped her fingers and a set of Stormtroopers appeared outside Cal’s cell.

“Is my ship ready?”

“Yes, Second Sister.” One of them answered mechanically.

“Good, don’t leave me waiting. Bring the Jedi to the ship.”

Trilla strolled casually out of the cell as the Troopers descended on Cal. The last thing she heard as she left the cell block was the sound of electric batons making contact with flesh and the pained cries of the soon to be former Jedi.

Cal struggled against the grasp of the Troopers as they dragged him to a small Imperial transport ship at the top of the fortress’s launch pad. Inside a small legion of Stormtroopers and a mean looking Purge Trooper waited, and in the middle of them, sat Trilla with a smug look on her face.

“Strap him down”, she titled her head toward a seat on the ship. The Stormtroopers pushed Cal into the seat and attached his handcuffs to the chair. Cal strained against the cuffs, trying to lift himself out of the seat.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you”, Trilla tutted. “You’ll be needing your strength when we get to Dathomir.”

“Dathomir?” Cal asked in surprise. “Why exactly are we going to Dathomir?”

Trilla let out a soft laugh. “You still don’t get it, do you? Everything you know, I know. Everywhere you have been on your little chore run for Cere, I have been. I have been watching you Cal Kestis, ever since we crossed paths on Zeffo. I know you need the astrium to get the holocron, and I know the astrium is on Dathomir.”

Trilla twirled her finger in the air. “Let’s go.”

The pilot closed the ships doors and Cal felt it lift off the platform.

 _She knows about the astrium_ , Cal thought. _So she knows she needs someone strong with the Force to get it from Kujet’s Tomb. She can’t access the holocron without me getting her the astrium. So I can still stop her._

Cal felt his resolution growing stronger as the ship took off toward Dathomir. He wouldn’t let her win. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still trying to decide if I should have Merrin make an apperance in the next chapter on Dathomir, or if that would make the plot too complicated. What do you guys think? My next fic is definately going to involve Cal and Merrin because I just love them!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, more chapters! I had a little bit of writers block after my vacation, but I wanted to thank all the kind folks who left comments on the last chapter. You guys had a lot of good ideas! This chapter is just the Mantis gang, but next chapter begins the showdown on Dathomir. Enjoy!

Greez starred at the Mantis’s control screen and let out a sigh of relief. They were flying, but barely. The ship would need some major repairs, but with the Empire hot on their trail, it was a stop they couldn’t afford right now. Greez set the ship to autopilot and entered the galley. BD-1 and Cere sat next to each other on the couch, both of them uncharacteristically quite. Although the crew had escaped the Imperial forces, the ship’s morale had never been lower. Greez sat down gently next to Cere, whose eyes were cast down at the floor.

“Hey, you hanging in there?” Greez asked her. She briefly raised her eyes to look at him, but then returned them to the floor.

“I failed him, Greez. I failed him, just like I failed Trilla.” Cere sighed. Greez had never seen his friend look so tired.

“No Cere, no, you can’t think like that. You didn’t fail him, this is a…a setback, but the kid is smart and resilient. The Empire’s got nothing on him. We’ll find him Cere, it’s not over.” Greez made an attempt at a smile. They couldn’t lose hope, although he knew the odds were not in their favor.

Cere rose to her feet and walked away from the Latero.

“You don’t understand Greez, what they are doing to him right now as we speak. I was there, I was at Nur. The electrocution, the sleep deprivation, and worse. How they get in your head, use your deepest held beliefs and the ones you love against you. I remember it all. I barely escaped, but most of who I was as a person and a Jedi was left behind on that planet.” Greez could see that Cere was physically shaking as she spoke. He knew about her past, what the Empire had done to her, but she rarely talked about it. He could understand why.

“And now, they have Cal and they’re doing the same to him. I promised him I would protect him. And I…I failed Greez. I failed. It was my idea to send him to Illum, unarmed.” Cere fell to her knees and held her head in her hands. Greez could hear the faint sound of her crying.

“Hey, hey.” Greez sat down next to Cere and pulled her hands away from her face so she could look at him. “This is not your fault Cere, you understand? This is not your fault, and all hope is not lost. We gotta go and find the kid, simple as that. We can still help him.” Greez was not used to having to dispense wisdom or talk someone down. He was not fully used to having friends, if he was being honest. But he knew that he would do whatever it took to help Cere and Cal, even the droid for that matter. They were his family, and he had to protect them at all cost.

Cere looked over at Greez and gave him a weak smile. “I must say Captain, I’m surprised. Far from the hardened, starfaring gambler I met all those years ago. You aren’t getting soft on me, are you?”

“Me?! No way sister, I’m one of the most feared pilots in the galaxy!”

They both let out a small laugh. BD-1 came over next to them, beeping words of encouragement.

“Beep boo trill! Bee bee boop boo.” BD-1 spun around excitedly.

“What, what? What’s the droid going on about?” Greez asked Cere.

“He says we can’t give up, we can still save Cal.” Cere faced the little droid. “You’re right BD, there’s still time. And thanks to you, we know he’s still alive. Thank you for protecting him. Alright, time to hack into Imperial comms, see if we can pick up anything.” Cere stood up and moved toward her comms station in the cockpit.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Greez exclaimed. “Let’s find our boy!”

Cere dawned her headset and began adjusting the dials. Greez manned the ships helm. BD-1 sat down next to Cere, watching her adjust the controls with interest.

“Wait, wait…I’m picking something up I think. It’s faint, hold on.” Cere adjusted her headset to maximum volume to make out the faint signal she was picking up.

“…Imperial Vessel VZ21 on course to Dathomir, over.”

“Copy Vessel VZ21. Hey, is it true that there’s a Jedi on that ship?”

“Yeah, Inquisitor business.”

“Crazy. You always get the best assignments.”

“Whatever, you try going to Dathomir, then maybe you won’t be so jealous. I’m just going to be sitting in the ship anyway.”

“What does he look like, the Jedi?”

“I don’t know man, he’s young. Look I’ll talk to you later okay, if they catch us chatting over the comms like this we’ll be in big trouble. I’m not trying to get my pay docked again.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But I want details later.”

“Alright, over and out.”

Cere put down her headset and turned to Greez. “They have Cal, they’re head to Dathomir.”

“Dathomir? Why are they going to Dathomir, are you sure?”

“I picked up a…um, rather unprofessional Imperial conversation about a ship on with a Jedi on board heading to Dathomir on “Inquistor business.””

“Yep, that’s our boy. But why are they going to Dathomir?”

BD-1 turned to Cere and began trilling and beeping his explanation in binary.

“BD-1 says he remembers Trilla saying something about following us for a while now, spying on our movements. So, I would be willing to bet she knows about the astrium. That’s why she is bringing Cal there, she needs him to get it and open Cordova’s vault. But then that means…” Cere got up began pacing excitedly around the cockpit as she spoke.

“So that means, he’s not broken. He hasn’t turned to the dark side yet. Trilla knows she needs a Jedi to use the astrium and open the vault. So Cal is still a Jedi.” Cere sunk down into her chair with a sigh of relief. She felt like the weight of a thousand Banthas had been lifted off her chest. They were not too late.

“Captain, set a course to Dathomir!”

Greez looked begrudgingly at Cere. “Okay, okay, but the Mantis needs repairs, so we can’t use hyperspeed.” He shook his head. “Why does it always have to be Dathomir.” 

BD-1 spun around and beeped excitedly. Cere gave him a comforting smile.

“Here we come Cal!” 


End file.
